C H A P T E R Vocabulary List 1: Prefixes CHAPTER SUMMARY When actors analyze a character, they break the person’s characteristics down into personality, mannerisms, and appearance in order to see what makes them tick You much the same thing when you analyze a word Breaking a new word down into its parts can help you determine its meaning I n order to be able to unlock the meaning of many words in the English language, it is useful for you to understand what a prefix is A prefix is a word part at the beginning of a word that changes or adds to the meaning of the root word in some way By learning some common prefixes, you will be able to decipher the meaning of many words that are unfamiliar to you After you have completed the exercises in this chapter, you will become acquainted with the meanings of the more common prefixes, which will improve your reading, speaking, and listening vocabularies 31 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – Choose the word from the Vocabulary List that best fits into the crossword puzzle You can check your answers at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions Vocabulary List 1: Prefixes antecedent antipathy circumvent consensus controversy decimate demote disinterested euphemism exorbitant illegible intermittent malevolent precursor prognosis retrospect subordinate synthesis transcend trivial 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Across medical “forecast” unimportant avoid, elude occasional preexistent, previous 11 the opposite of promote 12 excessive 13 integration 14 inferior 17 hindsight 18 predecessor 19 sinister, venomous Down destroy to exceed unreadable dispute, argument neutral, unprejudiced 10 general agreement 15 aversion, loathing 16 an expression for 33 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – demote (di· mo t) ¯ prefix: de means down, away from (verb) to lower in grade or position The company had to the vice president due to an economic downturn antecedent (an·ti· sed·ənt) ¯ prefix: ante means before (adj.) going before in time The VCR was a(n) to the DVD player antipathy (an· tip·ə·the) ¯ prefix: anti means against (noun) revulsion, any object of strong dislike I have a severe toward cockroaches disinterested (dis· in·tər·est·ed) prefix: dis means not, opposite of (adj.) not motivated by personal interest or selfish motives He is the most politician running for office this term circumvent (sər·kəm· vent) prefix: circum and circ mean around (verb) to go around; to catch in a trap; to gain superiority over; to prevent from happening I tried to any ill will between my two employees by giving them both a promotion consensus (kən· sen·səs) prefix: means with, together (noun) agreement, especially in opinion The family finally reached a to adopt a dog from the pound euphemism ( u·fə·mizm) prefix: eu means good, well (noun) the use of a word or phrase that is considered less distasteful or offensive than another “Bachelorette” is a for “spinster.” exorbitant (ek· zor·bi·tənt) prefix: ex means out of, away from (adj.) going beyond what is reasonable and proper The cost of real estate in the big cities forces many people to move to the suburbs and decided controversy ( kon·trə·ver·se) ¯ prefix: contr means against (noun) a discussion of a question in which opposing views clash There is a in my building about whether or not to implement a flip tax illegible (i· lej·ə·bəl) prefix: il means not, opposite (adj.) not able to be read Because my handwriting is my papers decimate ( des·i·mat) ¯ prefix: dec means ten (verb) to destroy or kill a large portion of something, to take or destroy a tenth part of something Humans continue to the rainforest every day 35 , I always type – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – intermittent (in·tər· mit·ənt) prefix: inter means between (adj.) stopping and starting again at intervals storms made for a turbulent flight malevolent (mə· lev·ə·lent) prefix: mal means bad (adj.) having an evil disposition toward others After losing her job, she became those who became successful (noun) (sub· or·din·it) a person or thing of lesser power or importance than another (verb) (sub· or·din·at) ¯ to treat as inferior or less important No one wanted to work for her because she treated those who were to her without respect synthesis ( sin·thə·sis) prefix: syn, sym means with or together (noun) putting of two or more things together to form a whole The between the two elements created a poisonous mixture toward precursor (pre· kər·sər) prefix: pre means before (noun) a forerunner, a harbinger, one who or that which goes before My boss’s left the department in shambles prognosis (pro · no ·sis) ¯ prefix: pro means before (noun) a forecast; especially in medicine Even though my dog is old, her recovery is excellent transcend (tran· send) prefix: trans means across (verb) to go beyond the limits of; to overstep; to exceed Knowing him, he will this setback and still win the marathon trivial ( triv·e ·əl) ¯ prefix: tri means three (adj.) of little worth or importance Although everyone was excited about the new development, it became clear that it was and would not benefit the company in any way for retrospect ( ret·ro ·spekt) ¯ prefix: retro means back, again (verb) to think about the past (noun) looking back on or thinking about things past In , I realized that perhaps I was too harsh with her subordinate (sub· or·din·it) prefix: sub means under (adj.) inferior to or placed below another in rank, power, or importance 36 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – At the Cradle of Aviation Museum, a of man’s first trip to the moon in 1969 will include a restored lunar module Words in Context The following exercise will help you figure out the meaning of some words from Vocabulary List by reading context clues After you have read and understood the paragraph, explain the context clues that helped you with the meaning of the vocabulary word Refer to the answer section at the end of this chapter for an explanation of the clues Soon after the war began in Bosnia in April 1992, the damaged buildings and burned homes reduced the country to ruins and the landscape In our country, the use of nuclear power as a viable source of energy has been an ongoing controversy During the gas and oil shortages of the 1970s, energy prices were exorbitant The federal government supported nuclear power as a new energy source that would be cost effective Now, the president’s National Energy Policy Report lists nuclear power as a safe and affordable alternative Today, however, as in the past, many people have voiced their antipathy toward nuclear power plants, especially in the wake of the 1979 partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant At that time, scientists scrambled to circumvent a total meltdown in a facility that was designed to be fail-safe There was great fear that the meltdown would be complete and decimate the area Now, the federal government is once again promoting this alternative energy source Scientists have discovered what could be the closest to man, an upright ape-like creature The stock market has on average declined over the past year, with periods of growth Oprah Winfrey was able to her humble roots to become one of the nation’s most respected, wealthy, and powerful women The police department’s crime stopper’s unit placed a drawing and description of the kidnapper in the newspaper Errors caused by physicians’ handwriting have sparked proposals to add handwriting courses to medical school curricula Sentence Completion Insert the correct word from Vocabulary List into the following sentences After the implantation of a heart pacemaker, the patient’s was good World leaders and anti-globalization protesters are at odds in the continuing about how to assist sluggish world economies 10 “Downsizing a company” is a for letting go or firing employees 37 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – 11 Different ethnic groups’ 20 What some may consider toward each other has resulted in many wars throughout the world or unimportant ideas sometimes blossom into good business ventures 12 Because of the price and gas consumption of the sports utility vehicle, the first-time buyer selected a small, energyefficient sedan Synonyms The following exercise lists vocabulary words from this chapter Each word is followed by five answer choices Four of them are synonyms of the vocabulary word in bold Your task is to choose the one that is NOT a synonym 13 After the successfully increased the company’s sales and production, the chief executive officer promoted her to regional sales manager 21 controversy a dispute b quarrel c consensus d debate e disputation 14 Environmentalists and energy analysts have not reached a about how best to meet America’s growing energy needs in a safe and financially sound manner 22 disinterested a selfish b impartial c neutral d objective e unbiased 15 Due to his mistreatment of fellow officers, the captain was to the rank of sergeant 16 The famous actor seemed in fame and the constant media attention he received; he continued to live his life in the same way as before his rise to fame 23 antipathy a aversion b dislike c hatred d sympathy e abhorrence 17 A patchwork quilt is the result of the of many smaller pieces sewn together to make a unique design 24 exorbitant a reasonable b excessive c overpriced d inflated e steep 18 In order to the impending storm, the pilot changed his flight plan to avoid turbulence and lightning 19 My were some of the first colonial activists in the United States; they took part in the Boston Tea Party 38 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – 25 intermittent a sporadic b alternating c recurring d occasional e continual 28 precursor a successor b forerunner c ancestor d antecedent e predecessor 26 malevolent a malicious b spiteful c nasty d disinterested e wicked 29 synthesis a mixture b fusion c separation d amalgamation e blend 27 transcend a exceed b descend c excel d surpass e outdo 30 decimate a demolish b annihilate c build d slaughter e kill Antonyms Choose the word from Vocabulary List that means the opposite, or most nearly the opposite, of the following groups of words 31 descendant, successor, progeny, heir 32 readable, decipherable, comprehensible, clear 33 direct, face, aim, confront 34 disagreement, wrangle, conflict, dissent 35 promote, encourage, sponsor, support 36 benevolent, caring, compassionate, kindly 37 leading, chief, primary, foremost 38 trail, follow, tail, drag 39 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – 39 significant, major, important, noteworthy 40 continuous, constant, nonstop, incessant Matching Questions Practice Activities Match the word in the first column with the corresponding word in the second column Write ten words that begin with the same prefixes as the words in this unit Write your definition of each word based on what you already know about each prefix Be sure to check your answers with a dictionary definition of each word 41 circumvent a 42 retrospect b combination dispute 43 euphemism c 44 precursor d destroy 45 synthesis e skirt 46 antipathy f Example: preactivity means a warm-up activity that comes before the main activity predecessor excessive 47 disinterested g 48 exorbitant i hatred 50 decimate j Prefix anti h pleasant substitute words 49 controversy Create a personal “pictionary” prefix book List common prefixes along with their definitions and create drawings that remind you of their meanings Example: neutral hindsight 40 Definition against Illustration (draw a no smoking sign) m to show you are against smoking – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – Answers 11 euphemism If you got this question wrong, refer Words in Context We learn that nuclear energy has its supporters and opponents who continually debate each other; therefore, controversy means a public dispute We read that energy prices were exorbitant and the government began to promote nuclear power as a financially reasonable alternative The implication is that exorbitant is excessive After reading what has gone wrong with one particular power plant, we can infer that antipathy refers to the negative feelings of a significant portion of the population who oppose and intensely dislike the idea of nuclear power plants After the disaster, we learn that scientists tried to circumvent, or prevent, a total meltdown Finally, it was necessary for the scientists to stop a complete meltdown because it would decimate, or totally destroy, the area The partial meltdown of the reactor was disastrous enough, so the result of a total meltdown would be unimaginable destruction 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Sentence Completion 20 controversy If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition retrospect If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition decimated If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition precursor If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition intermittent If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition transcend If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition malevolent If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition illegible If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition prognosis If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition back to the word’s definition antipathy If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition exorbitant If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition subordinate If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition consensus If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition demoted If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition disinterested If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition synthesis If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition circumvent If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition antecedents If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition trivial If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition Synonyms 21 c consensus Controversy is a discussion where opposing views clash Therefore, consensus would not be a synonym of the word because it means to come to an agreement 22 a selfish Disinterested means not motivated by personal interest Therefore, selfish would not be a synonym of the word because it means the opposite—to have a personal interest 23 d sympathy Antipathy means to have a feeling of hatred toward someone or something Since sympathy means to have feelings of compassion for someone or something, it cannot be a synonym of the word 41 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – 24 a reasonable Exorbitant means excessive; thus, 25 26 27 28 29 30 33 circumvent Circumvent means to go around, the reasonable is the opposite in meaning and cannot be a synonym e continual Intermittent means to happen at regular intervals whereas continual means without stopping; therefore, it cannot be the synonym of the word d disinterested Malevolent means to have evil feelings and intentions toward someone or something Disinterested means to be neutral about someone or something; thus, it cannot be the synonym of the word b descend Transcend means to go beyond whereas descend means to go below and cannot be a synonym of the word a successor A precursor is something that comes before Successor cannot be a synonym because it means something that comes after c separation A synthesis is a blending together of things to form something; therefore, separation cannot be a synonym of the word c build Decimate means to destroy; therefore, build cannot be a synonym of the word opposite of the words in the group 34 consensus Consensus means agreement, the oppo35 36 37 38 39 40 site of the words in the group demote Demote means to downgrade, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group malevolent Malevolent means evil, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group subordinate Subordinate means secondary, the opposite of the meaning of the words group transcend Transcend means exceed, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group trivial Trivial means unimportant, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group intermittent Intermittent means interrupted, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group Matching Questions 41 e 42 g 43 h 44 f 45 b 46 i 47 j 48 c 49 a 50 d Antonyms 31 antecedent Antecedent means ancestors, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group 32 illegible Illegible means unreadable, the opposite of the words in the group 42 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – Across prognosis trivial circumvent intermittent antecedent 11 demote 12 exorbitant 13 synthesis 14 subordinate 17 retrospect 18 precursor 19 malevolent Down decimate transcend illegible controversy disinterested 10 consensus 15 antipathy 16 euphemism D E C T R I V I M D A I N T E R S E I A N T E C E T E X O R B R E S U B O R T R E T R O S D I P L A L E G M I T T B L D E N T I D T A N N A N P E C T I P A T H Y 43 I T R O G A N C S O C N E N T N R D O V D E T R S Y T E U P H R E C M I S M A N O S I I S R C U M V E N T C M O T E O N Y N T H E S E N S U S U R S O R I S L E V O L E N T ... trivial 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Across medical “forecast” unimportant avoid, elude occasional preexistent, previous 11 the opposite of promote 12 excessive 13 integration 14 inferior 17 hindsight... group 42 – VOCABULARY LIST 1: PREFIXES – Across prognosis trivial circumvent intermittent antecedent 11 demote 12 exorbitant 13 synthesis 14 subordinate 17 retrospect 18 precursor 19 malevolent... disastrous enough, so the result of a total meltdown would be unimaginable destruction 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Sentence Completion 20 controversy If you got this question wrong, refer back to